Operating apparatus for fire doors



May 6 1924.

F. W. MARTIN OPERATING APPARATUS FOR FIRE DOORS Filed April 19, 1920 3 Sheets-Sheet l a 'INVYENTORZ 1,492,805 F. W. MARTIN OPERATING APPARATUS FOR FIRE DOORS Filed pril 19. 1920 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 F. W. MARTIN OPERATING APPARATUS FOR FIRE DOORS May 6 1924.

3 Sheets-Sheet '5 Filed April 19. 1920 INVENTOH.

WITNESS Patented May 6, 1924.

UNITED STATES FREDERICK W. MARTIN, F MANHATTAN BEACH, NEW' YORK, ASSIGNOR TOFRANK- LI1\T RAILWAY SUPPLY COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF DELAWARE,

OPERATING APPARATUS FOR FIRE DOORS.

Application filed April 19, 1920. Serial No. 375,042.

To-all whom it may concern:

Be it-known that I, FREDERICK W. MAR- TIN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Manhattan Beach, in the county of Kings and State 'ofNew York, havei-nvented certain new and, useful Improvements in Operating Apparatus for FireDoors, ofwhich the following is a specification.

Thisyinventionhas reference to the provision of animproved form of actuating means for operatingfire box doors particularly such as are used .in conjunction with fluid pressure means either of air or steam as commonly employed on locomotive fire boxes. 7 j j I The first of the'objects of' this invention is the provision of an operating apparatus of the character specified which will be economical to construct, which will be efii: cientand economical in operation, which can be. readil v and cheaplyv repaired and adjusted and which will secure efiectiveand prompt actuation of themoving parts of the door with a minimum expenditure of power.

A further object of this invention is'theprovision of means in association with the apparatus specified which will produce a movement of thedoor parts with a minimum of shock or recoil and which will not interfere with hand actuation of the moving parts of the door when required, v v

A further object of the invention-is the provision of operating mechanism of the character referred to which may be set in most convenient position for the foot of the fireman and at the same time not interfere with other adjacent operating par-ts mounted on a locomotive or with the clearance and freedom of the surface of the deck plateor floor of the locomotive cab.

The above, as well as such other objects as may hereinafter appear, I obtain by means of a construction which I have illustrated in preferred form in the accompanying drawings, -wherein Figure 1 is a front elevation of a door apparatus having my improvements applied thereto; Figure 2 is an end view of a door apparatus with the actuating mechanism partially in section; Figure 3 is a view partly in section taken on the line 33 of Figure 2, and Figure lisan opposite end elevation showing the parts connected with the door plates on the end opposite to the end to which the actuating piston and link is applied.

Referring now more particularly to Figures 1 and 4, it will be seen that I have therein indicated a door frame 1 having an upper swinging door plate 2 and a lower door plate 3.

The upper door plate 2 as well as the lower door plate 3 are pivotally mounted on either side by means of the pins 4 and are connected respectively by the links 5 and 6 with the rocker. lever 7 that swings on, a pivotal support attached to the frame 1.

The frame 1 is secured by suitable bolts l upon the outside of the boiler head 1 just over the aperture into the fire box marked 1 in Figure 4:. V

As a means for readily'holdingthe door in various opened positions, I provide a pivotally mounted latch 9 adapted to engage either the aperture 10 or 11 or the lower end of the upper door plate 2 as required andboth the door plates 2 and 3 I prefer to make of double wall construction with an air space between, the admission to such air space from outside the door being through the apertures 12 and from the inside of the door through the apertures 13 in the in-, ner wall 14.

As a convenient means for actuating the door' by hand I provide a handle 15 and at one end of the upper door plate 2, I mount a lug 16 which carries a threaded pin 17 :that engages a link 18 which forms a connection to another threaded pin 19 that is secured within the piston 20. g

The piston 20 reciprocates in the cylinder 21 to which the air is admitted through,

the pipe thatvis attached by the threaded opening 22 subject tozthe control of the valve 23 carried in a chamber in the arm24, there being a pivotal connection 25 atzthe outer end of the arm 24 which supports the cross lever 26 that is'actuated by the foot treadle 27; v v

The cylinder 21 is mounted from thedoor frame 1 by means of suitable securingdevices such as the bolts 28 shownin Figure 1 and the piston 20 is connected to thelink 18 by a pin 19 which extendsout through a slot in the side of the cylinder.

I prefer to use a piston without packing rings, but of differential diameters and so connected by the ports and passages that when the operating valve 23 is raised from its seat, the pressure from the inlet opening 22 will pass into the chamber under the large end of the piston and force it upward transmitting the movement through the link 18 to the upper door plate 2 from which the power will be transmitted in turn by means of the links 5 and 6 at the opposite end of the door and the rocker lever 7 to the lower door plate 3 so that the two door plates will move in unison.

hen the piston 20 travels upward to nearly the end of its stroke it comes in contact with the air valve 29 which is held down by a spring 30, raising it from its seat and admitting air on top of the piston, the supply coming through the inlet pipe connec tion 31.

As the upper end of the piston is of slightly smaller diameter than the lower end, this air pressure thus admitted on the top of the piston does not prevent the latter travelling its full stroke. but it does serve to nearly balance the pressure upon the large end and thus prevents the doors from slamming open with violence. I

As an additional means for securing quiet action, I arrange the link 18 so that when the door is wide open such link connection will be almost in a direct line with the connection where it joins the piston and with the door pivot pin as shown in dotted lines in Fig. 2, by which arrangement as the door travels upward, the power for opening the doors gradually decreases.

This arrangement of the link 18 aids materially in preventing the doors from slamming open with any degree of force.

When the pressure is removed from the treadle 27, the valve 23 closes cutting off the supply of air to the underside of the piston 20 and allowing the air to escape from below the piston so that the pressure which still remains upon the upper end of the piston, (the valve 29 at the extreme travel of the piston being still open until the piston travels a slight distance downward,) will thus serve to start the door toward the closed position. After the upperdoor plate, however, has swung out so that its weight will cause the door to close by gravity, the upper door plate being preferably somewhat larger and heavier than the lower one, the valve The small provide a double exhaust passage, the main exhaust taking place through the passages 31 and 32 shown in Figure 3 which is out off, however, by the piston when it approaches the end of its downward stroke as indicated by the dotted line at 33 leaving only a small restricted exhaust port 34 through which the air in the end of the cylinder below the piston may escape to the outlet passage 35.

The foot treadle 27 is carried on the end of an adjustable horizontal bar 36 which is provided on its upper surface with a series of notches 37 arranged to engage with. a latch 38 held down by the weight 39.

To provide a swing or rotative movement of the treadle 27 and bar 36 the depending bracket in which they are carried is pivotally mounted upon a serrated washer-41 carried by a bolt 42 that has threaded engagement with the lever 26 and in rotation may be locked in adjusted position by means of a lock bolt 43. By the arrangement described the vertical adjustment of the foot treadle 27 may be varied to suit the operators requirements by merely screwing the bolt 42 up or down in the lever 26.

a While I have shown .my operating apparatus as applied to a door of novel type invented by E. J. Bring and forming the subject matter of a copending application Serial No. 374,657, filed April 17, 1920, a is evident that some at least of the advantages of my improved apparatus may be obtained it it be applied to other types of fire box doors. r 1 k I claim:

1. An operating mechanism for fire box doors comprising in combination a fluid ac tuated piston, connections from said piston to the door to be operated, said connections being attached to the piston the door in position to produce a gradually decreasing application of force in the opening of the door and to aid in cushioning the doorqat the end of its opening movement.

2. Any operating mechanism for fire box doors comprising in combination with the door a differential piston, means for admitting fluid pressure to the larger end of said piston to open the door and means for .admitting fluid pressure to the smaller end of said piston to cushion the opening movement of the door when near the end of its travel, said last mentioned means beingconstructed to utilize the cushioning airto start the door 3 in its closing movement and the door being gravity operated to closed position.

3. An operating mechanism for doors having a pair of pivotally mounted door plates, a fluid actuated piston for moving said plates, a connection whereby the force of the piston is transmitted to the plate, said connection being attached to the'piston and the door in position which will cause the connection to come nearly into line with the pivotal support of the door plate when the door is in opened position.

4. Operating mechanism for actuating fire; box doors comprising in combination fluid pressure actuating means, valvular means for controlling the admission and exhaust of air to and from said actuating means, lever mechanism for actuating said valvular means and an actuating treadle for said lever mechanism having a vertical pivot on the lever mechanism to permit of radial adjustment of the pedal with relation thereto.

5. Operatingmechanism for actuating fire box doors comprising in combination fluid pressure actuating means, valvular means for controlling the admission and exhaust of air to and from said actuating means, lever mechanism for actuating said valvular means and an actuating treadle for said lever mechanism having a vertical pivot on the lever mechanismto permit of radial adjustment of the pedal with relation thereto, and means for securing longitudinal adjustment of said treadle in relation to its pivotal support.

6. In combination, a fire door frame, a pair of door sections pivoted thereon to swing on a substantially horizontal axis transversely of the door opening, a substantially vertically arranged fluid pressure actuating means, and a connection between the upper section and said actuatin means.

7. In combination, a fire door ame, a

pair of door sections pivoted thereon to swing on a substantially horizontal axis transversely of the door opening, a substantially vertically arranged fluid pressure actuating means, and a connection between the upper section and said actuating means, said upper section being also connected with the lower.

8. In combination, a fire door frame, a pair of door sections pivoted thereon to swing on a substantially horizontal axis transversely of the door opening, a substantially vertically arranged fluid pressure actuating means, and a connection between the upper section and said actuating means, said upper section being also connected with the lower and being heavier.

9. In combination, a fire door frame, a pair of door sections pivoted thereon to swing on a substantially horizontal axis, a differential piston, means for admitting fluid pressure to the larger end of the piston to open the door sections, and means for admitting pressure to the smaller end to cushion the opening movement of the door when near the end of its travel and start the sections in closing movement, the upper door section being heavier and being opera- FREDERICK W. MARTIN. 

